If your wedding budget has room for lighting, you're in for a great experience. Not all weddings need lighting, but the right lights lend warmth, elegance and drama to a room. Here are some points to ponder, as you consider lighting your party room.

Modern uplights can match your décor perfectly. With the magic of LED uplighting and DMX controls, your lights can be fine-tuned to millions of color variations, including the colors you've chosen.

A lifeless room typically means a lifeless party. But animated uplighting, with color transitions, chases and strobes, can ignite the entire room, and drive your guests to the dance floor for non-stop dancing.

Venue uplighting vs. DJ uplighting. If your wedding venue offers uplights, they typically are set to one of a handful of pre-programmed colors; and that's how they stay -- all night -- even when your guests dance. Static, non-moving light can actually drain the energy from your dance floor. A lighting company can set up single-color lights, or even program them for a single pattern when dancing starts. But a DJ who provides his own uplighting can actually run the lighting effects, so they change colors and patterns, and change to match the speed and energy of each new song. It's worth the extra money to let your DJ provide your lighting.

Uplighting for outdoor events. If you're having an outdoor wedding with dinner and dancing in a plain white tent, you desperately need uplighting! There is nothing more sterile than a pure white room -- an empty slate. Adding lighting changes everything! Suddenly, your space is alive with color; and most uplights can be aimed toward the middle of the ceiling, to make the entire space come to life.

Your name in lights. Adding monogram lighting with your names or initials can really put your individual stamp on your special day. Today's monograms can be cut from metal plates with a virtually infinite combination of artwork, fonts and messages. For a little more money, a special glass monogram can include a picture of the two of you; and it can be colored to match your room. Your monogram light can be projected onto a wall, or onto your dance floor.

When you DON'T need lighting. If you're having a daytime wedding outdoors, or in a room surrounded by windows, you don't need lighting. If you're having a summer wedding with a 9pm sunset, and your wedding reception ends at 10pm, you won't get much bang for your buck from a light show. If your wedding is held at the top of a skyscraper like the John Hancock Center or the Sears/Willis Tower, you already have the world's best light show outside your windows. If your party room has fluorescent lighting that's either on or off, and can't be dimmed, you're out of luck. The room lights will have to stay on all night, and a light show would be a waste of money. Finally, if your party room has dark walls, you won't get the full benefit of a light show; lighting is better with white or light-colored walls.

Your wedding guests' most lasting memories of your reception will be their first impression upon entering your dining room, and the fun they had on the dance floor. Elegant uplighting makes a great first impression, and turns your dance floor into a virtual explosion of color, sound and motion. You'll know it was worth the money when all of your guests rave to you about what a great time they had.